Ecosystem: “a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment.”

I’ve been doing a lot of walking as of late. I found a great botanical garden not far from my house and have been taking time each week to stroll through this natural art gallery. I’ve been trying to learn at least one new plant species each time I visit, which has come easy due to the fact that each plant has a little plaque next to it describing its common name, genus, and species.

While walking through the garden, I’ve noticed how calm my soul becomes. It reminds me of when I’m out on the ocean as well. I become captured by the moment and feel fully complete in the present. It’s a rare occasion for me to feel that way, but I’m trying to get better at it.

During one specific moment last week I had my head down looking at some Salvias when my wife nudged me and said “Joey, look!” She nodded in the direction of what seemed like statues of four deer. I smiled back at her and said, “Very nice. I thought those were real for a second.” Then the strangest thing happened. The statues moved. Slowly at first. The deer were walking in a way that looked like they didn’t want to make the earth creak underneath them. It was almost like they were whispering to each-other “Ok…just..move slowly…and the humans won’t ….know..we’re here.”

While watching this, I was reminded of how “unnatural,” or atypical,  it is for many of us to see something like this. Wild animals are such a treat when we see them. It’s like being at the zoo without cages. It is as it should be – nature fully connected.

There is something about us, humans, that continues to strive for disconnection both consciously and unconsciously. We build large buildings, roads, and walls to separate ourself from what is “wild.” Then when something wild comes in contact with our man-made environment we call animal control, the police, and/or have the animal killed. We then ask the question: Why is there a cougar, raccoon, coyote, deer, ect.. in our back yard? What business does it have back there?

Allow me to suggest that the “wild beast” is merely doing what it was meant to do – live connected and without boundaries. Animals don’t see property lines or city limits, they just see more space to roam. They seem to understand that everything is incorporated into the environment. Nothing is segregated as every species has an important role to play, and even depends on one another for survival.

Ecosystems are only “systems” as long as each species contributes and interacts with the rest of the community. If interaction between species ceases, then the system dies as well as many organisms. We were created for community. We were created for connectivity. Trying to keep ourselves isolated from the rest of nature is actually the antithesis of our own nature.

I’m not implying that we ditch our houses, communities, and technologies to go live in the dirt with the trees and beasts. I am only saying that we were never supposed to be as disconnected as we are from nature. We are so disconnected that we can eat almost any type of plant or animal without ever seeing a live specimen. That may sound crazy, but it’s true. Even now man strives to disconnect further by taking nature out of our agricultural equation with genetically modifying seeds. It’s almost like we are deliberately saying that we can do things better than the way things were naturally created, set-up, and meant to be.

It’s an amazing time to be alive, but I believe it’s more important than ever for people to reconnect with wild creation. It’s important not just because we are losing the natural environment faster than ever, but because we are losing a valuable connection with our creator faster than ever.

More on this in the next issue of The Blessed Naturalist.